The Columbus, Indiana resident used a three-wide pass on a restart with 34 laps remaining to take the lead for good. Jimmie Johnson, who had to start from the back of the field in a backup car after a crash in practice on Saturday, finished second less than a half-second behind Stewart.

Greg Biffle was third with South Bend's Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards rounding out the top five. Among the other Indiana drivers, Jeff Gordon finished twelfth with David Stremme coming in 28th.

With his third-place finish, Biffle takes over the points lead by ten over Kevin Harvick with Denny Hamlin now third, twelve points behind the leader.

The Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway this Sunday afternoon.